japanese music

Japanese Noh, a form of musical theatre codified in the early 15th century, has been transmitted to us from that age through an uninterrupted tradition. It is now universally recognised as an exceptional artistic treasure, inscribed on UNESCO’s Lists of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. In this essay, stage director Aleksi Barrière reflects on his experiences with and thoughts about Western works inspired by and based on Noh theatre.

Toshi Ichiyanagi, who passed away in October 2022, was one of the most influential and internationally acclaimed Japanese composers of contemporary music. Possibly somewhat less known is that he also had a strong connection to Finland. As the founder and chair of the Japan Finland Contemporary Music Society, Ichiyanagi became a focal figure in fostering musical exchange and collaboration between the two countries. In this interview, conducted in Tokyo in 2018, Ichiyanagi talks about the contemporary music scene in Japan, the importance of cross-cultural collaboration – and his appreciation of Finnish cultural life.